T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship.
"Lord Commander, the enemy is attempting to break out from the [redacted x,y] direction — that is, the direction our interstellar frigates are advancing to attack." Chitong reported at his side. She went on, "Deputy Captain Shen Bing is leading the interstellar-frigate battle-group composed of T3 Triceratops in the attack. It's estimated that in five minutes, they'll clash into battle with the enemy ships."
Zhao Chen looked at the shifts of the two sides' interstellar warships upon the interstellar holo-table. One could plainly see that, at present, the Warhammer interstellar fleet's formation had, on account of the T3 Imperials' and T3 Blizzards' charging and interpenetrating, been split into three portions. Divided, as it happened, along the lines of the three legion fleets — cleft in two, into three; forming three local battlefields. Set against the Black Wolf Tribe's Third Legion interstellar fleet, which was swiftly organizing a counterattack, the other two interstellar legion fleets from the Mole Tribe — their flagships destroyed — were, at present, still in the midst of chaos.
Zhao Chen lifted his head and looked toward the loss situation of both sides' interstellar warships. Up to now, Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Legion had not yet had a single interstellar-warship loss; there were, however, three T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers whose hulls had sustained damage, and which had, at present, under the cover of friendly ships, withdrawn from the main battlefield to shoulder the task of wingman-ships assisting the main battlefield. But in the matter of interstellar fighters and interstellar drones there were, after all, some losses. The losses were, though, none of them great.
By contrast, the Warhammer interstellar fleet's losses could be called quite terrifying. 10,000 interstellar warships, in this under-half-hour of combat, had only under 5,000 interstellar warships left. Of these, 80% had been destroyed and had fallen in the first round of the interstellar missile ships' firepower bombardment — they hadn't even had the chance to fire a single shot. And this was still on account of the fact that the worst here were T2 interstellar warships; had it been the T1 interstellar warships of those fish-fleets of the Reef Star Region, then by all estimates it'd have gone straight to not one in 10 surviving. This, too, was the gap between a regular-army fleet and those fish-fleets.
Chitong, off to the side, noticed the Commander's gaze, and analyzed there, "Up to now, our fleet has annihilated 50% of the enemy fleet's interstellar warships. Though it seems only 50% — the enemy still has 5,000 interstellar warships left, some 10-odd times our number! But the priority targets of our interstellar missiles were, all of them, the enemy's T3 interstellar warships. The enemy's 300 T3 interstellar warships now have under 100 T3 interstellar warships left — and half of those are, besides, ones 'missing arms and broken legs.' Our interstellar fighters and interstellar drones alone are enough to give those a hard time. The remaining T3 interstellar warships are simply no cause for fear. As for the vast number of T2 interstellar warships — that, one would have to put to the armor and the three ramming horns of our T3 Triceratops, and ask their opinion."
Chitong looked at the direction of the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion's breakout upon the interstellar holo-table, and gave a scornful little laugh. "It has to be said, this legion-fleet commander truly does know how to choose. So many directions, and yet he goes and chooses, of all things, to break out through the direction of our interstellar frigates. 100 T3 Triceratops are quite enough to let this Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion's remaining under-2,000 interstellar warships enjoy a passionate, sparks-flying 'bumper-car' health-check. Once we've wholly annihilated the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion, then the remaining two Mole Tribe legion fleets will, by all estimates, have their morale utterly gone — and cleaning them up won't be the least bit of a problem."
Zhao Chen nodded; this was what he thought too. But he was preparing to hand the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion one more heavy dose. "Fourth Fleet — carry out your combat task."
The Fourth Fleet · T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber No. 1 ship · bridge.
Zhao Wan'er looked at the content of the task Zhao Chen had sent her, and showed a trace of a knowing smile.
"Set out."
At this very moment, the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion was, with all its might, breaking out toward a single direction; upon the Black Wolf commander's starship radar, one could see that, upon the path the breakout must take, 100 T3 interstellar frigates had already spread out into a combat formation, meaning to intercept their breakout.
"100 T3-grade interstellar frigates… though the number's a touch large, in the end they're only interstellar frigates. In my hand I have, after all, still over 2,000 interstellar warships, along with 50 T3 interstellar warships! To break out is not the least bit of a problem!" The Black Wolf commander was brimful of confidence.
Over on the other side, the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate No. 1 ship · bridge.
Shen Bing sat in the captain's chair, staring at those Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion interstellar warships ceaselessly closing in upon her on the interstellar holo-table, a subtle expression showing in her eyes. Originally she'd been meaning to adopt that flat-push tactic from the earlier Snake-Sovereign Fortress defense battle in the Snake-folk system. But who'd have thought the enemy would, this time, of all things, deliver itself right to her door. And since the other party was in such a hurry to deliver themselves to her door, then Shen Bing would simply wait at her ease for the enemy to wear itself out. She ordered her hundred T3 Triceratops to directly form a three-dimensional planar defensive formation, the hundred T3 Triceratops spreading themselves out. For all the world like a great dam, making ready to block the wave of enemy ships about to come sweeping in.
"Don't let a single one of them get past me." Captain Shen Bing handed down the order coldly.
The three great black horns of the hundred T3 Triceratops towered dazzlingly bright; seen from afar, one might at a glance take it for a spear-formation of some ancient age.
Soon enough, the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion's interstellar warships charging at the very front entered firepower range, and were the first to open fire upon the T3 Triceratops. But the T3 Triceratops had star shields — and were equipped, moreover, with a three-shield system! The "wall of light" these star shields formed intercepted the enemy ships' attacks near-seamlessly. Though the T3 Triceratops' hull-armor strength was terrifying, in a situation like this, why not use the star shields when one could?
As the Black Wolf Tribe Third Legion fleet pressed on, drawing nearer and nearer to Shen Bing's T3 Triceratops position, at this point the 200 T3-grade six-mount 600mm-bore heavy point-defense energy cannons equipped upon the T3 Triceratops all opened fire at once. Directly forming a terrifying barrage of energy shells. Pulverizing the enemy fleet's interstellar warships charging at the very front, one after another — for all the world like a paper shredder.
"Reporting — the enemy's T3 interstellar frigates' firepower is a touch strong; our T2 interstellar warships are losing heavily!" the adjutant reported to the Black Wolf commander.
The Black Wolf commander knit his brows slightly, but hadn't yet come to realize his own mistaken decision. "However strong the firepower — in the end they're no more than interstellar frigates. Order the whole fleet to charge at full speed; so long as we tear open a single breach, we can break out of the encirclement! Convey my order down the line — the first interstellar warship to break through, a commendation for the whole ship!" The Black Wolf commander had directly employed the sugar-coated-bullet strategy.
It had to be said, the effect was quite plain. And on top of that, with the warlike, rash-and-reckless nature of those beast-folk of Warhammer, every one of them was for all the world as though they'd been injected with a shot of chicken-blood.[1] Were it in a normal interstellar campaign, this would be a rather fine sort of morale bonus. Only a pity that this time, all it did was bring them one step nearer to the god of death.
"Whole fleet, heed the order — make ready to enter short-range assault mode!" Shen Bing handed down the order.
The Owl Dragon-brand bulldozer — online!